My detractors will fail – Hearts MD

Accra Hearts of Oak's Managing Director, Neil Armstrong Mortagbe, has parried accusations of misconduct being levelled against him by some club capos, insisting that his detractors have unfortunately taken to mudslinging.

He insists also that his personal conduct has never tarnished the reputation of the club, and that what he has brought on board is the finesse in club administration that has injected professionalism into the Phobian act recently.

Even though highly-placed sources within the club's hierarchy had accused Mr Mortagbe of "unpalatable behaviour" or wrongdoing, the Hearts boss said the so-called club big wigs must show their faces and make bold claims.

"The story has soiled my reputation and must be retracted," Neil demanded of the Graphic Sports, which published last Monday about his imminent sack for the alleged misconduct after a meeting of the board this week.

Mr. Mortagbe told the Graphic Sports emphatically that the said allegations were totally false and must be retracted, but other sources believed the club’s capo still had questions to answer over how a $1,000 gift from a club sympathiser to skipper Moro Abubakar was paid in two installments within three months when the donation was made through the MD.

Again, even though Neil admitted taking custody of such a gift meant for Abubakar, he said he paid it straight to the player and not by installments as being alleged.

The sources had told Graphic Sports that Hearts were on the verge of sacking the MD for his conduct and the accusation that he had failed to back his plans as presented in his vision for the club prior to his appointment with real action.

But Mr Mortagbe said his vision also included building a solid administrative foundation upon which Hearts could become even attractive to the corporate world even beyond the boundaries of Ghana.